Taking high-speed trains has become the choice of more and more people. They are fast and convenient for transfers, much more so than driving and getting stuck in traffic on the highway~
However, friends who frequently take high-speed trains may have noticed an interesting phenomenon when selecting seats and finding their positions: high-speed train seats are labeled A, B, C, D, and F, but there is no E.What is the reason for this?
In the early days, airplanes were mostly single-aisle, with six seats per row labeled A, B, C, D, E, and F.Among them, A and F indicate window seats, C and D indicate aisle seats, while B and E represent middle positions. Over time,the six letters A-F no longer simply represented order but formed an international convention where specific letters represent window, aisle, and middle seats.After the introduction of high-speed trains, a large number of passengers who previously traveled by plane switched to high-speed trains. The international seating arrangement rule for aviation is that A and F are window seats, so high-speed trains naturally followed this convention.
(Image source: Baidu Zhidao)However, high-speed trains are not as spacious as airplanes. China’s high-speed trains use standard gauge tracks,which have a standard distance of 1435 mm. Generally, high-speed trains are 3.2 meters wide,and the length of different train models varies approximately between 200-400 meters depending on the number of carriages.Therefore, to leave a corridor about 1 meter wide in the middle and to set up six seats in a row like airplanes would feel cramped, affecting passengers’ travel experience. However, if only four seats are set in a row, it would enhance comfort but waste space resources..
Thus, high-speed trains have made a compromise by adopting a “3+2” seating arrangement. In the second-class carriages, each row has five seats, with one side having three seats corresponding to A, B, and C; the other side has two seats, only next to the window and aisle, without a middle position, hence corresponding to D and F.
For example, if a passenger’s train ticket has the seat number 06F, then this passenger should sit in the window seat of the sixth row with two seats.
To cater to some passengers’ requirements for spaciousness and comfort, high-speed trains also set up first-class cabins and business class, similar to airplanes. Like the second-class seats, first-class seats use a “2+2” seating arrangement, meaning both sides have two seats, A and F indicate window seats, C and D indicate aisle seats, and since there are no middle seats, B and E are naturally absent, leaving only A, C, D, and F.
Similarly, some high-speed train carriages also have high-end business class or VIP seats, which adopt a “2+1” model, where A and F indicate window seats, C indicates aisle seats, and B, D, and E are eliminated.
Seat Distribution(1)VIP Seat: Window-A-Aisle-C-F-Window(2)First-Class Seat: Window-A-C-Aisle-D-F-Window(3)Second-Class Seat: Window-A-B-C-Aisle-D-F-WindowEnglish Related to “High-Speed Train” 
1.High-speed train 高铁；动车Eg. The high-speed trains have drastically shortened the travelling time within China.高速列车大幅度地缩短了在中国境内旅行的时间。2. Second-class seat 二等座Eg. Are there any second-class seats for Los Angeles available tonight?还有今晚去洛杉矶的二等车厢的空位吗3. Window seat 靠窗座位Eg. I’d like to have a window seat.我喜欢一个靠窗口的座位。4.Train attendant 列车员Eg. If you have any trouble on the train, you can ask the train attendant for help.在列车上遇到什么困难，都可以请列车员帮忙解决。5. Business class seat 商务座Eg. You can pay to be upgraded to a business class seat.你可以花钱调换到商务舱的座位。
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